Description:

From Publishers Weekly

Picking up where he left off in November 2010's Elfsorrow, Barclay has no qualms about heaping more misery and catastrophe on his devastated creation. The world includes a complex and rational system of magic that requires the cooperation of mages. One of the colleges of magic uses the near-destruction of a rival as the impetus for a war that brings in all four colleges and leaves the world even more battered and chaotic than it already was thanks to a series of political wars. The Raven, a group of heroes trying to stop the destruction, is battered and damaged as well, its numbers greatly reduced. Frequent perspective shifts give a sense of urgency at the expense of allowing the reader to get fully invested in any single character. Battle scenes are well realized and varied, vital in a book consisting almost entirely of epic conflict. (Dec.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review

"...a wonderful continuation of a story that I fell deeply in love with...Entertaining reading to say the least...Barclay's writing doesn't stray, and his characters are just as believable and deserving of our attention as always. If you like yourself some high fantasy and haven't read James Barclay, you are doing yourself a disservice." --Fantasy Book Review

"...we may have found the guy who tops our Heroic Fantasy list of favorite authors...Whatever it is that draws us all to stories about the exploits of mercenary bands, James Barclay knows what it is." --Elitist Book Reviews